Pegasus

Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus, who finished second in the Preakness and missed the Belmont with a minor hoof injury, has been sold for a reported world record $70 million. The winner of the bidding war for Fusaichi Pegasus' breeding rights was Coolmore Stud, a thoroughbred breeding and racing empire based in Ireland. According to Coolmore spokesman Richard Henry, the agreement that calls for Fusaichi Pegasus to begin his stud carer in 2001 was finalized with representatives of the colt's Japanese owner, Fusao Sekiguchi, on Friday night.

Rarely would one describe an acclaimed, innovative yet bleak sci-fi series as "kicking it old school." But the appearance of robot villains with sparkling armor, Speak-&-Spell voices and zooming bat-winged spaceships in Razor, a new Battlestar Galactica film, may just warm the cockles of nostalgic sci-fi hearts. The movie premiering tonight on the SciFi channel bridges Seasons 3 and 4 of the current Battlestar Galactica series while flashing back to the original Cylons and other signature elements of the 1978-1979 space opera of the same name.

When the mind ticks off a list of some of the great champions of the modern sports era, it's difficult to ponder many of them without a great challenger. Would the Los Angeles Lakers dynasty of the 1980s have been so highly regarded without the Boston Celtics, or could Muhammad Ali have achieved boxing immortality without three incredible fights against Joe Frazier? Probably not, and the same could be said for horse racing. Two of the past three Triple Crown winners - Secretariat and Affirmed - had marvelous challengers, Sham and Alydar, respectively, to forge their reputations.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - DirecTV Group Inc., the biggest U.S. satellite-television provider, agreed yesterday to buy former marketing partner Pegasus Communications Corp.'s satellite-TV unit for $938 million to sell service directly to 8.4 million rural homes. DirecTV will pay $875 million in cash, the El Segundo, Calif.,-based company said in a statement. Pegasus previously held exclusive rights to provide DirecTV's service in rural areas of 41 U.S. states, sharing revenue with DirecTV. The number of subscribers to DirecTV services in rural areas has steadily declined in the past few years, and this deal will allow DirecTV to reverse that trend and increase its subscriber base in these areas, an analyst said.

Burning Roma, the Laurel-based colt, will close out his 2001 season tonight in the $250,000 Pegasus Handicap, a Grade II test of 1 1/8 miles for 3-year-olds at the Meadowlands. A winner of eight of 13 races, the Tony Dutrow-trainee will then be given the winter off before resuming his career as a 4-year-old. Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey replaces the injured Rick Wilson aboard Burning Roma, the likely favorite against less accomplished colts. "I'm looking forward to it," Dutrow said of saddling the colt for his season finale.

The thousands of racing fans who will put their Preakness money on Fusaichi Pegasus tomorrow can only hope the horse is more relaxed than his trainer, Neil Drysdale, who is setting a new standard for caution in the days leading up to the race. Drysdale, recently voted into racing's Hall of Fame, is a terrific horseman whose record renders his methods and decision-making basically unassailable. And he was jovial for the most part yesterday when meeting with reporters and putting his horse through an early-morning canter on the track and a schooling session in the paddock in the afternoon.

The trainer of Fusaichi Pegasus said yesterday that he expects the Kentucky Derby winner to run in the Preakness barring unforeseen setbacks. Neil Drysdale also said he plans a "reconnaissance mission" this weekend to learn what awaits his colt in Baltimore. The California-based Drysdale said he hadn't run a horse at Pimlico in so long that he wanted to check out the stables, saddling area, track surface and everything involved "to put the horse in the best environment." One of the nation's most meticulous, cautious and tight-lipped trainers, Drysdale wouldn't say exactly when he might pop in at Pimlico.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - DirecTV Group Inc., the biggest U.S. satellite-television provider, agreed yesterday to buy former marketing partner Pegasus Communications Corp.'s satellite-TV unit for $938 million to sell service directly to 8.4 million rural homes. DirecTV will pay $875 million in cash, the El Segundo, Calif.,-based company said in a statement. Pegasus previously held exclusive rights to provide DirecTV's service in rural areas of 41 U.S. states, sharing revenue with DirecTV. The number of subscribers to DirecTV services in rural areas has steadily declined in the past few years, and this deal will allow DirecTV to reverse that trend and increase its subscriber base in these areas, an analyst said.

NEW YORK -- The big horse has landed in the Big Apple. Perhaps the world will now see what all the fuss is about. The No. 1 contender for the Kentucky Derby, Fusaichi (pronounced foo-sah-EE-chee) Pegasus, will make his East Coast debut Saturday in the $750,000 Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct. He arrived from California with a regal pedigree, a mind-boggling price tag and a reputation for greatness. "He's the most talented horse I've seen in 10 years," said Barry Irwin, president of Team Valor, 50-percent owner of The Deputy, winner of last weekend's Santa Anita Derby.

Although the sun shone out of a blue sky upon Pimlico, the greatly anticipated arrival yesterday of the Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus might as well have occurred in the middle of the night. Despite elaborate planning by track officials for a public welcome, the horse's trainer Neil Drysdale orchestrated a last-minute maneuver that bypassed waiting cameras and allowed the Derby winner to walk off his van directly into his barn. Hardly anyone could see the horse as he walked down the ramp into Barn 7 on the eastern side of Pimlico.

Burning Roma, the Laurel-based colt, will close out his 2001 season tonight in the $250,000 Pegasus Handicap, a Grade II test of 1 1/8 miles for 3-year-olds at the Meadowlands. A winner of eight of 13 races, the Tony Dutrow-trainee will then be given the winter off before resuming his career as a 4-year-old. Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey replaces the injured Rick Wilson aboard Burning Roma, the likely favorite against less accomplished colts. "I'm looking forward to it," Dutrow said of saddling the colt for his season finale.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Enter Tiznow. As the three leading contenders for Horse of the Year fizzled yesterday on Breeders' Cup Championship day at Churchill Downs, the little-known Tiznow soared into contention with a championship-like performance. A late-developing 3-year -old bred in California, Tiznow outfought the European star Giant's Causeway down Churchill Downs' long and historic stretch for a dramatic neck victory in the $4.69 million Breeders' Cup Classic. Lemon Drop Kid and Fusaichi Pegasus, the two Classic runners at the forefront of the Horse of the Year debate, finished fifth and sixth.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - As the horses passed the finish line in the Breeders' Cup Classic just before sundown yesterday, a sound that could have passed for some wild animal call in the jungle rose from the 76,043 fans at chilly Churchill Downs: "Who?" "Tiznow." "Whoooo?" "Tizzzz-now." What was this, some weird tribute to the animal-loving Discovery Channel? No, just a fitting end to a weird day of racing. Who had just won the Classic, the $4.69 million culmination of the Breeders' Cup card?

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - After thousands of races over hundreds of racing surfaces, it comes down to this: Three horses running on Breeders' Cup Championship day for the ultimate championship, Horse of the Year. Riboletta, the sensational mare, Fusaichi Pegasus, the electrifying colt, and Lemon Drop Kid, the seasoned warrior, will share the spotlight today at Churchill Downs before thousands of spectators and an international television audience. The one who shines, the one who proves best at what he or she was bred to do, will be rewarded with racing's highest honor.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Like most racehorse owners, Jinny Vance is superstitious. She likes things to go just right before a race. Yesterday, things for the co-owner of Lemon Drop Kid couldn't have gone any better. The colt drew post No. 7 for the Breeders' Cup Classic on Saturday at Churchill Downs. "I'm a nut," said Vance, who with husband Laddie Dance owns Lemon Drop Kid as well as a horse farm in Baltimore County. "I look for signs prior to a race. If things work a certain way, that's a sign things will go well."

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The questions don't stop for Neil Drysdale, trainer of the enigmatic Fusaichi Pegasus. Each morning outside Barn 41 at Churchill Downs, Drysdale responds to queries about his horse's readiness for the Breeders' Cup Classic. Fusaichi Pegasus will likely be favored in the $4 million race, one of eight Saturday composing the Breeders' Cup. Yet the rambunctious colt has raced only once since May. "All I can judge is from his training," Drysdale said yesterday. "He's training well.

The winner of the Kentucky Derby and the winner of the Preakness may - or may not - meet again June10 in the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park. The trainers of Red Bullet, who won Saturday's Preakness, and Fusaichi Pegasus, winner of the Derby, said yesterday that their colts would run in the Belmont only if they're thriving. Otherwise, they said, they'll wait for 3-year-old stakes later in the year.`This horse was perfect for this race," said Joe Orseno, trainer of Red Bullet, referring to the Preakness.

There comes a time early in the year when each racing fan feels that first tingling rush of excitement over the possibility of an extraordinary Kentucky Derby. For this racing fan, that moment occurred Sunday. In races on both coasts, 3-year-olds displayed such courage and ability that each easily conjured up the image of a winner's circle celebration in a sea of red roses -- in other words, the winner's circle of the Kentucky Derby. Six weeks from today, on May 6 at Churchill Downs, as many as 20 horses will compete for this country's most coveted racing prize.

ELMONT, N.Y. - After establishing himself as the best horse in the country, Lemon Drop Kid yesterday ran into the dreaded - but inevitable - curse of his sport: bad racing luck. In the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park, a few strides out of the starting gate, Behrens veered in front of Lemon Drop Kid, forcing jockey Edgar Prado to jerk him back to last. The colt never recovered as Albert the Great, the lone 3-year-old in the race, pulled away for a six-length victory, shattering the stakes record.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Nick Zito once said: "If you cut me open, it would say Triple Crown." Yet this spring, as the racing world focused on the Triple Crown races, Zito remained in the shadows. The trainer lost his top 3-year-old, Greenwood Lake, to a career-ending injury in March, then he watched Fusaichi Pegasus win the Kentucky Derby, Red Bullet win the Preakness and Commendable win the Belmont. "It was hard, really hard," Zito said yesterday of sitting out the Triple Crown. "You work so freaking hard at this job. Those races are my goal."